The Power of Place: Assessing Whether Novice Teachers Benefit from Similarities in In-Service and Student Teaching Schools

In this research brief we connect data on in-service and student teaching schools to assess whether similarities in these

environments predict the performance of novice teachers. These analyses recognize that student teaching is not a one size fits all experience. Rather, what makes for an effective student teaching placement may vary according to where a teacher is hired. Descriptively, we find that a meaningful percentage of candidates are hired by the same school district in which they student taught. Empirical analyses show that novice teachers are more effective when their in-service school is similar to their student teaching placement site. These results are particularly strong for novice teachers working in their student teaching school. Taken together, these findings highlight the importance of job-specific knowledge and encourage educator preparation programs and school districts to work more closely together.

This report was prepared for the Education Policy Initiative at Carolina.